Harrodsburg Objects To Burgin Annexation
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Robert Moore
Herald Staff
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The City of Harrodsburg is objecting to the City of Burgin’s ongoing—and controversial—attempt to annex 10 properties.
Harrodsburg City Attorney Norrie Currens laid out Harrodsburg’s objection to the Friendly Little City’s annexation of nearly a thousand acres of real estate for a possible hyperscale data center at the end of the Harrodsburg City Commission’s regular meeting on Monday, July 13.
“Our main waterline traverses property owned by AFI and others on Handy Pike,” Currens said. She said Burgin was required under state law to provide Harrodsburg with notice of the annexation.
“They’re required to provide notice to any city with utility infrastructure,” Currens said.
She said they were going to send Burgin Harrodsburg’s formal objection to the annexation to the annexation prior to the Burgin City Council’s special-called meeting scheduled for July 20. Burgin canceled this meeting shortly before this article went live.
“They are not following the annexation procedures set by Kentucky statute,” Currens said Monday. She said state law gives certain requirements to the city. She said Burgin has to comply with state law and give the City of Harrodsburg 14 days’ notice of the annexation of land with Harrodsburg infrastructure.
“They have not provided us with any notice,” Currens said. “We have some grave concerns with what is happening over there.”
In addition, Harrodsburg has an easement on the farm that the main waterline runs through, Currens said.
Harrodsburg also provides Burgin with drinking water. Currens said Harrodsburg’s water contract with Burgin expired in 2024. Since then, they’ve been operating month to month. That contract requires Harrodsburg to provide Burgin with water for industrial use. There is no limit on that amount of water.
At Monday’s meeting, Currens asked the Harrodsburg City Commission to authorize her to draft an objection to the annexation and to authorize Mayor Bob Williams to sign it.
Currens said once the objection has been submitted, they would attempt to draft an interlocal agreement between the two cities.
On Monday, Harrodsburg city officials expressed concern about the possibility of a hyperscale data center in Burgin. Especially one that used Harrodsburg water to operate.
“Somebody uses that much water,” Harrodsburg Commissioner Marvin “Bubby” Isham said. “It could break the City of Harrodsburg quickly.”
Another issue was the rights Harrodsburg granted to farm owners who gave the city easements to locate city infrastructure on their property, dating back to 1956. Commissioner Isham said Harrodsburg had lost a lawsuit over those rights.
Mayor Williams said the agreement was initially to secure an easement for Harrodsburg to run a waterline. Each farm was provided with a tap every 2,000 feet.
“When it was raw water, it was fine,” Mayor Williams said. “When we started sending treated water, it became a little bit more usable.”
The original rate has been in place since 1956. Williams said they’ve had issues in the past with overuse of treated water.
“Right now we’ve got enough to address,” Williams said.
Currens said the city has considered rerouting the waterline, but the project would cost $30 million.
“The annexation procedure that they failed to follow is the basis of our objection,” Currens said. “If they go forward and we don’t do anything, we’re going to waive our rights.”
Noting that Burgin at the time of the meeting did not have a mayor, Currens said she would hand-deliver it to the Burgin city clerk and place it in the mailbox for the Burgin City Council members.
The Harrodsburg City Commission voted unanimously to object to the annexation.
“We’ve got to do what’s best for the City of Harrodsburg,” Mayor Williams said.
The next scheduled meeting of the Harrodsburg City Commission will be Monday, July 27, at noon at Harrodsburg City Hall (208 South Main Street). A calendar with meeting dates and other information is available online at harrodsburgky.gov.
